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Park Street repairs signal recovery for Lyons residents

Pre-flood construction likely increased road damage during flood

By Whitney Bryen

Times-Call community reporter

Posted:
07/18/2014 09:55:25 PM MDT

Updated:
07/18/2014 09:57:09 PM MDT

Watching construction crews smooth the freshly poured concrete curbs and gutters on Park Street in Lyons on Friday morning was like watching the final, game-winning field goal for resident Scott Kelly.

Kelly, his wife, and two family members were on the edge of their camping chairs on the front porch about 7:30 a.m., watching the first batch of concrete roll out of the cement truck and onto the street in front of their neighbor's home.

"It feels good to have a curb again," Kelly said. "This is the good stuff."

In September, Kelly's home of 12 years was flooded. Water rushed through his home and garage at the corner of Second Avenue and Park Street, destroying almost all of his personal belongings and totaling the house.

With money from his insurance company and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Kelly was able to rebuild and moved back into his home last week — about 10 months after the flood. Friday, construction crews added the cherry on top.

"The road is going to be a lot better, the street drainage will be better, everything will be better," Kelly said.

Crews poured curbs and gutters on the 100 and 200 blocks of Park Street Friday, another milestone for residents of the flood-ravaged town.

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The construction marks the end of Kelly's recovery, but for others on the street, there is still a long way to go.

The home across Second Avenue from Kelly's is still empty, he said. There are still boarded up windows and doors sprinkled across both blocks. Progress is being made on some of the homes, while others look untouched.

Construction began on the two blocks of Park Street before the flood, said Marc Lenart, owner of Concrete Works of Colorado.

Lenart's crews were in the middle of replacing water lines on the street in September when the flood hit.

The asphalt was already torn up in several places and most of the water lines had been replaced by the time water began rushing down the street and forcing residents to evacuate their homes.

The damage to the street was likely amplified by the existing construction, Lenart said, allowing water to wash under the asphalt and around the newly placed lines.

Repairs were put on hold following the flood, Lenart said, while the Town of Lyons developed community-wide recovery plans.

"They just wanted to do it once," Lenart said. "No use in having to redo it again."

Last week, Lenart received the go ahead from town officials.

Crews will return to Park Street next week to finish preparing the road for asphalt, which will likely be poured in two weeks, he said, hopefully, making it easier for residents and crews to get to and from homes on the blocks and speeding up the recovery process.

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